Damnation
by StarKnight2.0
Summary: Multi-Crossover. YJ/Prototype/Infamous. Two years after "Messiah Complex", Disaster strikes Empire City. Thousands dead and Chaos reigns. The Government has sealed off the city but when an agent and a strange object goes missing, they turn to the Team. They then team up with Cole and others to take on Reapers and a shadowy group called The First Sons.
1. Prolog

**(a/n: Alright! New story, new beginnings! Please enjoy and review!)**

* * *

Prolog

 _Empire City, Years ago…_

Nighttime in Empire City usually meant vibrancy and excitement.

Tourists and locals would mingle and hang out at some of the best clubs and restaurants in the city found in the Neon District, or catch a show at world famous the Penrose Theater in the Historic District, or even have a pleasant evening stroll through some of the city's famous botanical in the Orchid District despite the freezing temperatures at this time of year.

However, this night was colder than usual and an ice-cold rain came down in a torrent. People hurried to and from their homes to their cars, from restaurants to a bus stop and other places.

On such a cold evening, most folks would stay indoors. Unfortunately, there are a significant number of Empire's citizens don't have such a luxury.

Such is the case for one Mark "Mack" Wilson, one of Empire's many dispossessed.

At one time, he was a successful accountant for one of Empire City's biggest corporations. Then out of the blue, they cut his job and he was out on his ear. Once his job was gone, pretty soon everything that Mark had dissolved around him and he ended up on the streets of Empire City with nothing but the clothes on his back.

At first it was the most miserable time of his life, but soon he grew accustomed to his life.

Sure he had to scrounge everyday just to get by, people treat him like he was a plague rat and that he had no prospects, but Mark didn't have as much stress as he had from the office.

Working for a high-class corporation was enough to put grey in his hair several decades early.

Now, his schedule is wide-open and a clear horizon ahead of him. However, despite having unlimited time on his hands, Mark would every once in a while miss his old life.

Tonight was one of them.

The cold rain forced him to take shelter underneath one of the bridges in the slums of Empire, nicknamed the Warren, near a maintenance tunnel entrance. His shopping cart full of all his earthly possessions was covered by an old blue tarp and within sight. Mark stood next to a fire that crackled in an old metal barrel with several other men like him.

They stood there, clad in worn old clothes and disheveled, warming their numbed hands by the fire. The bridge overhead provided some protection from the icy rain but not from the cold wind that blew inland from the coast. Which is why they chose the maintenance tunnel entrance as shelter for the night. Even though it was a dark, smelly shaft of concrete that led deep under the city, it was better than any other alternative they had.

Mark and his friends, Lenny, Dave and Tom, talked a bit on local politics and about good spots in town whenever they met up. This night they talked about some recent rumors that seemed to be spreading like wildfire through Empire.

Some of the other folks in their camp, meanwhile, were listening to an old battered radio that sat on the ground by a short, elderly man they called "Small Paul".

Not a very clean bunch but Mark knew that they were good company.

Dave was a former doctor who lost his practice and eventually his house. Lenny used to be a bank teller, and Tom, he never really told anybody what he used to be.

As they stood around talking, the rain began to pick up and the wind howled like a banshee. Mark drew his tattered coat around him tightly in an effort to stay warm.

"…So like I was saying, there's no way that could happen!" said Lenny vehemently "He says that he met a guy who says that there's this secret group operating out of the Historic District, running the entire show. He says that they're behind everything; the police, the mayor, the governor, even the League. He says they're everywhere!"

"Really?" said Dave, arching an eyebrow.

Lenny scoffed "Nah, he's just full of it. He swore up and down that he saw them operating over on Orchid Avenue but I talked to his ol' lady and she says he was drunk off his ass, yelling at a bunch of lawyers".

The assembled vagabonds chuckled at that, except for a young kid named Mattie. He jumped in "I-I heard about them too!"

"Really?" said Mark raising an eyebrow.

The young boy nodded "Yeah, I saw 'em!"

"Did not" said Small Paul rolling his eyes.

Mattie rounded on the old man and scowled "Did too!"

"What did they look like? Who were they?" asked Mark, calmly. Normally, they would ignore the kid due to his tall tales and unconvincing fabrications. However, lately there were rumors spreading among the lower class of Empire. Whispers of scary dudes in hoods snatching some unsuspecting folks off the streets or even from inside of their homes, carrying them off into the night for reasons unknown.

Even though Mattie was just a child, there was a chance he might've seen something and it helped to have an open mind to everything.

Mattie thought for a moment and he spoke softly "W-well, there were three of them. Two of them were huge guys, they were bigger than all of you. There was a short guy with them in a nice suit. They were talking to this lady in an alley near Platinum Street. As they were talking, I saw the two large guys throwing a bunch of people in the back of a van"

Everyone looked at the boy silently. An eerie silence filled the night, with nothing to be heard except the soft music spilling out of the old radio and the patter of rain.

Mark frowned "What happened next?"

"I got out of there as fast as I can" said the boy quietly, "I didn't want to get taken" "Good call" said Tom with a smile, revealing his yellowed teeth.

* * *

As the night carried on, the wind picked up and the rain came down harder than minutes before. The group of homeless folks huddled closely to the flames that flickered in the barrel. Thunder rumbled in the night like an angry giant. Static filled the radio's speakers as long jagged fingers of lightning split the night sky.

Wind howled in their ears and tore through them like an icy dagger. Having enough of it, the vagabonds began filing into the maintenance tunnel for shelter.

As they made for shelter, a blinding flash of lightning illuminated the night, followed by a deafening crack of thunder.

Mark's senses were temporarily rendered fuzzy. His eyes filled with spots and his ears rang. Blinking furiously, his eyes managed to focus against the wind and rain whipping against his face.

Mark saw his friends standing in the darkened tunnel entrance waving him over and yelling something. He was about to rush over to them but something moved in the corner of his eye. Mark looked and saw a shape limping through the dark and rain. He squinted and focused on it. A flash of lightning briefly illuminated the figure in the rain, causing Mark's eyes to widen in shock.

Limping in the rain was a man dressed in a long tattered coat with a hood carrying a woman covered in blood. Without really thinking Mark waved the man over "Over here!"

The man seemed to notice Mark, as he made his way towards the homeless man.

Once out of the rain, Mark led the stranger into the maintenance tunnel.

* * *

Once inside, the other homeless greeted Mark and the stranger with odd looks and questions but some of men helped the stranger lay the woman down on ratty old blanket and dirty pillow.

Dave pulled Mark aside "Mark, what were you thinking?"

"I couldn't leave them out there" explained Mark

"She's bleeding out" whispered Dave. They looked at the woman and Mark paled and his stomach churned at the sight of the wound.

A huge piece of the woman's side was missing and blood was oozing out. The stranger coat pockets and tried to bind her wounds but it was useless.

The man's wide blue eyes were wet and puffy "No, no, no, no…" "We got to get her to a hospital" hissed Dave

"You're a doctor" said Mark "Can't you-"

"Are you serious?" said Dave cutting him off "I don't have the equipment or medicine for something like this. Even if I did, the chances of her survival are very slim"

"Just do what you can!" insisted Mark "I'll send Mattie for an ambulance" Dave sighed deeply and nodded. He went to the woman's side and went to work.

* * *

The woman's heartbeat was faint and her breathing grew more laborious. The stranger gripped her hand in his, muttering a prayer of sorts under his breath.

Mattie had left to retrieve an ambulance from the hospital a couple of blocks away.

None of them had phones, let alone enough money to use a payphone, so they hoped beyond all hope that Mattie would make it. But they all knew that the woman wasn't going to last long.

Dave rose to his feet and stretched out his cramped limbs. He looked to Mark and shook his head slowly.

Dave turned to the stranger and said softly "I'm sorry…there's not much I can do for you. She has maybe a few moments left".

The stranger nodded slowly, acknowledging Dave's words.

He gripped his friend's hand tightly and held it up to his face. "I'm sorry…I'm so, so sorry" he whispered, his voice beginning to break. Tears began to drip down his face.

Mark felt a pang of sorrow. It wasn't easy to lose a loved one. Most of Mark's loved ones died of less extreme things like natural causes or of random accidents but the pain was there all the same. He had no idea what was going through this man's head right now. Who was she? A girlfriend? Wife? He didn't know and he wasn't eager to start poking and prodding the poor guy with dumb questions.

There was a raspy sound coming from the woman. The stranger looked up at her "I know…I know its not but…I can't help but feel that I'm responsible" there was another raspy sound which, if Mark focused hard enough to listen, formed into words " _…I don't blame you"_

"I know" said the man with a small smile. Tears welled up in her eyes and she coughed a bit then expelled her final words, which to Mark, sounded like " _Co…I…"._

The stranger's expression was contorted in pain, sorrow and anger. Mark didn't know the guy but he had the sudden urge to get far away from this man. He looked ready to explode and destroy everything within reach and then some. The man shook and instead of the violent explosion Mark had though, the stranger broken down sobbing.

He stumbled away from the body of his deceased friend and sat slumped against a wall. He buried his face in his hands and continued.

For almost an hour, the man sobbed loudly. Mark and the other homeless folks kept their distance from him and tried to get some sleep.

Thunder boomed outside and echoed down the tunnel, drowning the man's cries a little. Hours passed and everything eventually went silent.

* * *

The rain had slowed to a drizzle and eventually came to a stop. The winds calmed and were still.

Mark had dozed off a little but Mattie woke him. The boy said that the hospital was busy with a injuries from a botched robbery but they were sending an ambulance soon.

Mark thanked the boy then sent him off to get some sleep. The homeless accountant looked around the dark tunnel. He saw the sleeping forms of his his eyes adjusted better to the dark, he decided to see how their guest was faring.

He got up and went further down the tunnel a bit and saw that the deceased woman, a blanket now covered her but he also noted that man was gone.

Mark frowned and confusion and tried to think of where he may have gone. He then thought of the only place he may have gone and retreated up to the tunnel entrance.

He found the man standing at the tunnel entrance. The man stood there, silently staring out at the warm glow of Empire City' skyline.

The stranger turned abruptly, looking a little tense but when he saw Mark he relaxed a little "Oh, its you"

"Hey" said Mark quietly "How are you feeling?"

"Lousy" admitted the man "but I should've seen it coming, considering…" he trailed off for a moment then glanced at Mark "Thank you, for trying to help"

"No problem" said Mark "Sorry we couldn't help your friend".

The man's face was expressionless but Mark could see sadness behind those eyes "Its alright…there's nothing you could've done."

Silence fell between the two. Mark and the man stood there quietly observing the city. Minus the dead woman and the grief stricken stranger, Mark enjoyed nights like this. Rain seemed to momentarily cleanse the city and the morning after just made Mark think of his childhood. He wanted to say something to console the stranger but the words didn't come.

He looked and noticed something in the man's eye that made Mark think that the man was rather nostalgic for something. He shook his head, dismissing those thoughts.

Finally, Mark turned and looked at the stranger "So…what now, for you I mean?"

The stranger took a deep breath and exhaled. The homeless man noticed that the stranger was gripping something tightly in his hand.

After a moment of silence, the stranger looked at Mark "Now…I fix this" he turned and walking away. He shoved whatever it was that he held into his coat pocket.

Mark blinked "What?"

"Thank you for your kindness. Please take care of my friend's body for me." continued the man as he walked away "For now, I have to undo everything. I have to make sure that everything is done right"

"Huh?" said Mark, more confused than ever.

The man stopped and he looked at Mark. Guilt flashed across his expression and he said, "I will fix this. I will make this right. You'll thank me for this…you all will"

 _Ok_ thought Mark, with a frown on his face. The man turned to leave but Mark asked, "Wait! Just who the heck are you?" he paused for a moment and then said "Kessler. My name is Kessler".

* * *

The man named Kessler left behind the small homeless encampment with new resolve.

Though sorrow weighed his heart down like an anchor, Kessler saw one thing that gave him new strength and purpose.

It worked. They weren't sure if they were going to make it or not. It didn't really matter at the beginning.

If it didn't work, they would've been vaporized and turned into a cloud of dust and atoms. But if it did, which thankfully it did, they had one shot to make it all work. To rewrite events before they could happen.

That awful, hellish wasteland would be no more and maybe he could save them. He tried then but it was too late. He ran and hid for so long that that damn creature was too strong. There was nothing he could do but watch in horror as _it_ tore through them and slaughtered those he loved dearly.

He tried to save whoever or whatever was left. There was nothing, except for her. She was his oldest friend and she was the last one that was on the chopping block.

Luckily, Kessler managed to get her out of that little hole it stashed her in just in the nick of time.

They hid and tried their damnedest to survive and fight back but it all wore them down.

Eventually, Kessler got an insane idea. An idea so insane that it could work.

He would fix everything before it could get too strong. He would use his new ability and save the world.

It was brilliant. Months of preparations, planning and practice went by. They were almost free, almost in the clear. Then it caught on and tracked them down.

She stalled it momentarily with her sacrifice, just enough time for Kessler to get them out. Now she is gone and he is on his own.

Kessler's hand drifted to his coat pocket. He felt the small shape press up against him. Her locket was all that was left.

He clenched his fist tightly until his knuckles turned white. He quietly vowed to nobody "I swear that I will save you…I'll save you Dana. I'll save all of you!"

First things first, he needed to pay a little visit to the worm Alden and the First Sons.

End of Chapter

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 **(a/n: So, what do you think! Please review and let me know! I hope you enjoyed it!)**


	2. Ch1: State of Affairs

**(a/n: Here you go everyone, a nice new chapter for Halloween. Enjoy!)**

* * *

Ch.1: State of Affairs

 _Happy Harbor, Years later…_

A beautiful sunrise dawned over Happy Harbor. The sky was a shade of pink with the sun slowly climbing into the sky. A cool spring breeze swept through the small costal town and greeted the townspeople with the prospect of a beautiful day.

It would've been a beautiful day, if it weren't for the recent tragedy that had already struck a devastating blow to the nation.

In the main hall of Mount Justice, most of the team was assembled and watching solemnly the newsfeed that played on the holographic displays.

Floating in mid air, the multiple screens showed footage from several main media outlets from across the world.

Dominating the screens of every television, computer and anything that can pick up news, was the image of a ruined city. Thick clouds of dust and ash blotted out the city skyline. Fires raged, throwing up columns of thick black smoke adding more haze and confusion.

The news helicopter remained high above the smoke but everything was still partially hidden.

" _…the death toll is still climbing as more bodies are being unearthed from the rubble"_ reported the male journalist in the helicopter.

Down below, the smoked cleared a little revealing a massive crater filled with shattered concrete, warped metal, crushed cars and exhausted looking firemen and civilians, sifting through the ruins.

The scene made everyone on the team feel sadness and a measure of sympathy for the people of Empire City.

Two nights before, an explosion ripped the city apart and obliterated everything within its reach. It took the better part of an evening to figure out what had happened to the city.

For a brief moment, all communications with Empire City went dead and there were reports of a strange burst of light that was so powerful, Leaguers stationed on the Watchtower could see it.

When truth was discovered, everybody's worst fears were confirmed. A horrible attack had struck Empire City.

Though the explosion was devastating, the reports of the aftermath were worse. In the wake of the explosion, huge shards of metal and concrete rained down, destroying more sections of the city and causing casualties to skyrocket. Government agency and disaster relief organizations were alerted and were mobilizing to assist the city but were redirected away from the city by the military.

The military established a wall of razor wire and barricades to keep people inside the city.

There were whispers of an infectious disease popping up all over the city and was very powerful.

With little convincing, the military quarantined the city and ensured that the infection remained trapped in Empire. What made the blast even more devastating was the fact that Empire City was a major financial trade center, through which much commerce and trade flow through into the United States.

With the explosion, the national economy was rocked and was currently limping along. The League had been put on high alert and was gathering what members who are available to go in and help but so far, many leaguers were busy or unavailable.

"Whoa man…" murmured Blue Beetle in horror as the camera showed a pair of firefighters carry a bruised and bloody woman between them to a tent with a red ross on the roof.

Bart Allen, other wise known by his new name Kid Flash, walked in and noticed that all the gathered heroes staring at the holoscreens.

The speedster frowned "Hey guys, what's up? What'd I miss?" nobody said anything.

Blue Beetle merely pointed at the largest holoscreen in the center which had a large headline flashing across the screen " _Disaster in Empire City: Massive explosion levels city"_

"Oh man…" breathed Bart in shock. He had been on a rather relaxing two day vacation, most of which was spent sleeping in and eating. Bart wasn't fully up to date with current events.

Apparently he had missed quite a bit. Then suddenly, something in his mind clicked and he looked to his friend "Wait, Empire City?"

"Yeah" said Blue Beetle quietly "A huge chunk of the city got torn up pretty bad a few nights ago. The military quarantined the city but some reporter was allowed to show the condition of the city and the clean up".

The speedster looked back to the holoscreen and watched the scenes continue. His mind drifted off to a memory of a man from long ago. In the ruins and the ashes of the world where Bart had traveled from, wasn't there a man who mentioned something about Empire City? Bart wasn't sure, it felt so long ago but in reality it was years away from where he was standing.

The speedster snapped back to reality when he heard the reporter on the screen was starting to sound a little unsure of something, " _Wait a moment…we're getting something. Something is happening down there…"_ Bart looked up and on the screen the camera shifted from the rescue work towards the far end of the ruined boulevard.

Mixed among the grey of destroyed concrete were assorted civilians in dusty clothes but on the far side there was a single blip of white with some brown.

The camera was shaking a little but the image zoomed in on the arriving shapes and everyone saw that it was a small group of people clad in brown trench coats, gasmasks and gas tank looking devices. They each carried assault rifles in their hands and strange devices on their belts. In the forefront of the group, was a tall slim person in a tattered old coat with a hood.

The emergency crews and civilians all stopped and turned their gaze to the armed new comers. Some of the civilians scrambled away from the new comers. As the group hiked down the boulevard, a man in a tattered police uniform stepped in front of the tall figure in the tattered coat, leading the group.

" _I-I'm not sure what's going on but it looks like this police officer is trying to communicate with these armed strangers"_ observed the reporter.

For a moment, there was nothing. At first it looked like the start of a polite conversation. But as seconds passed, the man in the uniform paled and he looked like he was ready to flee. However, the officer stood his ground and pointed the leader then to the armed figures standing behind him.

The hooded figure didn't move. He merely raised a hand and made a gesture. From the top most window of a nearby building, there was a muzzle flash and the officer standing before the tall figure went down in a shower of blood and lead. There were some more flashes from other windows, and the figures in brown open fired on some other police officers scattered around the ruins, helping the civilians.

Screams mixed with gunfire and chaos took over.

" _Oh my God!"_ exclaimed the reporter " _They're firing upon the police!"_ within seconds the all the officers on the scene were either dead or wounded.

The civilians and the firefighters scattered like frightened animals but suddenly, more figures in brown coats appeared and gunned down a few more civilians.

Within moments, they captured the survivors and herded them back to the main boulevard. The leader of the figures in trench coats gestured and his subordinates forced the civilians to their knees. The frightened reporter was conveying what was going on and he froze when the tall slender leader of the gunmen looked directly up at the reporter and the helicopter.

Beneath the hood was the angry, scraggly face of an aged man. His eyes burned with an intense anger that could be felt by the team.

" _Oh God…"_ breathed the reporter " _He sees us, he sees us! We got to leave, we got to get out of here!"_ without warning, the hooded man raised his hand to the sky. His hand glowed bright and he summoned a crackling orb of energy.

"He's a Metahuman!" exclaimed Bart, surprised.

The man hurled the orb of energy at the helicopter. The orb shot into the sky with the speed of a bullet and it struck the helicopter. The helicopter shuddered and everything went silent.

" _What's going on?"_ cried the reporter, panic taking over.

" _The rotors aren't working!"_ reported the pilot " _The engines off… everything just shut down!"_ the image flickered and became static for a brief moment. The voices of the reporter and the pilot became garbled. For an instant the image became clear again and they heard the pilot scream " _Hold on! We're going down!"_ the team watched in horror the helicopter tilt and plummet to the earth.

Before the helicopter hit earth, the image cut to static and the image was lost.

The cave was filled with the sound of static and silence.

After a long moment of silence and static, the anchorwoman of the same news channel the fallen reporter worked at came on.

She looked shaken and a little distressed " _We're sorry for that ladies and gentlemen. It appears that we have lost Charlie Adams, his camera man Hank Wells and their pilot, Chester Lang."_ she paused for a moment, unsure on what to say. Finally the woman opened her mouth to speak but she stopped and her hand went to her ear.

Her eyes widened in surprise " _It seems we're getting a signal from Empire City"._ The screen changed and the image of the anchorwoman in the studio was replaced by the image of the man in the tattered coat who brought down the helicopter. He was slim, tall and disheveled.

The shadow of his hood hid part of his features but everyone could see a cold, steely look that showed that he meant business. Behind him was a row of unarmed citizens, all dirty and tired looking. They were all on their knees with their hands behind their heads. Standing behind them were several figures in brown trench coats and gasmasks. All of them armed with high tech assault rifles.

The scraggly man, who obviously was the leader, regarded the camera coldly.

He spoke with a voice that was low, threatening growl like the growling of a dangerous animal but was clear enough to be understood " _Your military has sought to trap us like vermin and let us rot among this desolation. So we decided that we would abide by this new order. However, we will not sit idly by as outsiders spy on us"_

 _"No!"_ roared the men in the gasmasks.

The scraggly man continued, " _What you have witnessed here today was a warning. There will be no further intrusions from the outside. Empire City is ours. If anyone gets any bright ideas of intruding or such…well…"_ a nasty smile appeared on his face.

The gunmen took aim at the kneeling civilians and fired. Everyone gaped in horror. Several of the team looked away in disgust.

" _You get the idea"._

Once the executions were done, the leader raised a hand. Nightwing observed that he wore an odd metallic gauntlet made from a strange grey metallic alloy.

The man clenched his gauntlet hand into a fist and declared " _Death comes to all who dare trespass our city and question our power. So says the First Sons of the new age!"_

The executioners standing behind the man raised their fists and shouted in unison " _So says the First Sons!"_ static filled the screen and returned to a horrified anchorwoman.

Nightwing scowled and felt that some serious trouble was brewing on the horizon.

* * *

 _Washington D.C, that afternoon…_

It was also a beautiful afternoon in the nation's capitol, but it was definitely a nightmare to be a government employee.

In the Oval office, the President of the United States, his most trusted aid, several top level agents, officers and other members of the intelligence community were there as well as a small man dark haired man from the NSA and lastly there was the new comer from the newest intelligence agency on the block, a rather hefty African-American woman named Amanda Waller.

Accompanying her was her assistant a rather grim faced man named Hawthorne.

The small assembly sat on the couches in front of the president's desk as he sat back in his chair listening to probably the worst news that he had received since the twin New York Outbreaks.

The situation in Empire City was bad.

So far, reports of infections were rather vague but thankfully there were no signs of giant fleshy veins growing over buildings or murderous mutant monsters roaming about. No, the bad part was the fact there was a terrorist group that has established themselves as the government of Empire City and are willing to kill anyone who dares to question their rule.

Normally, the solution would be kick down the bastard's front door and teach him a lesson in etiquette but this situation was far more delicate upon closer inspection.

Unlike the New York Outbreaks, there were still close to a few million innocents still within city limits and the military barricade.

Second, this new disease that was sweeping through Empire was strange and there was very little information on what it is. Lastly, there was the public outcry over the death of the news crew and the executions of the civilians on live national television.

The President sighed deeply "Ladies and Gentlemen…it would appear that we have ourselves quite a situation". He looked around at the assembled intelligence officers, aids and other guests "What are we looking at here people?"

Nobody answered right away. They all were scrambling for an answer through their notepads and tablets.

However, the new woman, Waller, spoke up "What we are looking at Mr. President, is an organization of mad men, comprised of the biggest lunatics, scientific geniuses and ruthless killers I have ever seen."

"Do tell?" said the President, cocking an eyebrow "Who are they?"

Waller reached into her briefcase and withdrew a thick folder then handed it to one of the President's aids.

"They call themselves 'The First Sons,'" explained Waller, as the aid handed the folder to the President. "Not much is known about them" she continued "Except that they're damn a militaristic cult"

"Oh joy" mumbled the President as he thumbed through the folder "Just what we need". The folder was chock full of documents, reports and some blurred photos.

The President frowned when he saw a short report dubbed _Project Prometheus._ He looked up at Waller "What do they want?"

"According to our intel, they believe that humankind will go extinct and that a new race of special beings with powers will be the future of our species" said Waller, dryly "Or in other words, we're going to bite the dust and the Meta's will inherit the earth".

The President scowled. He did not like the sound of that. He had no ill will towards the Meta-humans, especially the League, but they terrified the hell out of him, namely the monster that tore New York up during the first outbreak.

The President looked down at the folder in his hands "What's Project Prometheus?" "A little science project down in R&D sir" answered the short, dark haired man with glasses. The President vaguely recalled that the man's name was Thomas and that he was one of the shifty suits that worked in the NSA.

He explained in a dry, business like tone "It was developed in tandem with the NSA, the military and DARPA. It was a way to create superior soldiers to give us an advantage over our enemies abroad"

"In other words, super soldiers" cut in Waller, folding her arms "Meta humans".

The President nodded, understanding "Results?"

"Fairly successful" answered Thomas "It needed to be put through a few more tests and adjustments before it could properly be used. But the data was promising"

The President nodded in approval as he opened the Project's report and found a schematic for some sort of object. Meta human soldiers could do the country and the world. He looked up and noticed an annoyed Waller shooting Thomas some acidic looks. The President figured that there was obviously more to the story than the little man was letting on.

"Something like that can help" admitted Waller "However, you failed to mention our little problem" "Problem?" repeated the President slowly.

Thomas scowled at Waller for a moment then he adjusted his glasses "Our…problem, as my colleague puts it, is that Project Prometheus has been…misplaced"

"Misplaced?" snorted Waller "You mean stolen!" "Stolen?" said the President, in shock "What…how?"

Thomas cleared his throat and grudgingly admitted "a few weeks before the explosion in Empire City, someone had stolen Project Prometheus from one of our test sites. We had searched for weeks and managed to track its location to Empire City. Before the blast, one of our agents reported that the object was in possession of the terrorist group known as the First Sons…"

"Oh for God's sake…" murmured the President, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. This day just went from bad to worse faster than the Flash could run.

"However, our man managed to steal back the object" continued Thomas.

The President looked up at the man, a bit of good news to break up this overload of headaches "He recovered it?" "He did…when he last checked in" said Thomas hesitantly then fell silent.

The President glanced to Waller.

She finished Thomas's explanation curtly "The agent's last known location was Empire City and his last scheduled check in was only an hour before the blast. We haven't heard from him since the blast".

The President's shoulders slumped. There goes that bit of good news. What a week. First there was the debacle with the banquet at the Qurac embassy, then the explosion, then the First Sons and now this. An experimental piece of equipment with limitless potential is lost in the ruins of Empire City, which is now under quarantine and the oppressive rule of a wannabe warlord with the power to back up his threats.

President Keen was yearning for simpler days before his political career, where the worst problem he had to deal with were a bunch of disgruntled customers who screamed at him over the phone or his kids falling behind in school. President Keen looked up at Thomas and Waller "This is…really…I-I'm just at a loss for words…"

"Mr. President, I know that your mad" began Thomas but President Keen silenced him with a glare.

"Mad?" repeated Keen softly "Try furious. Lets take a look at our situation and I would say that we're screwed every which way".

The president was ready to rip out his greying hair and call it a night but he couldn't do that. He had to roll up his sleeves and fix this.

Keen looked to Waller "Any suggestions on what we can do before the media catches wind and turns it into a circus?"

A smile appeared on her face "As a matter of fact…." She clicked open her briefcase and sifted through its contents until she drew out some files. She handed them to the president's aid. The president flipped open the folder, revealing some reports and some pictures of various people taken from a distance and looked a little blurred.

Keen squinted and then he realized at who he was looking at. His eyebrows rose and he gave Waller a questioning look "And this is…?"

"That is our solution" answered Waller. She explained, "Our position is shaky at best what with that little display this morning. As of right now, our hands are tied."

"What about our assets?" asked the President.

Waller shook her head "I'm afraid they're not going to help us out of this hole. Not this time"

"What do you suggest?" scoffed one of the generals sitting beside Thomas, folding his arms "Sit on our hands and hope that Project Prometheus would be delivered back into our hands safely. Or better yet, the First Sons surrender the city and willingly off themselves!"

"Off course not" replied Waller calmly "We act".

Thomas and the general frowned at her, a little perplexed.

The president was just as confused. He held up the folder a little "And this is how we act?"

"Indeed"

Waller elaborated "The First Sons will expect us to react by sending in more troops or even slip in a few of our agents. They'll probably even expect the League to be sent in. Which is very well why we are going to go for our third option. The League"

President Keen's eyebrows furrowed "But there will be wholesale slaughter if they see the League coming" "Not if the League uses their little Team" said Waller.

Thomas's eyes brightened with understanding "Ah!"

"Exactly" said Waller, glancing over her shoulder at the NSA agent. The president began to understand as well.

Keen was fully aware of the League's team of young sidekicks whom they use as their covert arm whenever the League is tied down with other things. But where was Waller going with this?

"How is that any better?" asked President Keen

"They'll be able to infiltrate Empire City a lot more effectively than the League" explained Waller "Hell, they might even be better than some of our own men. They'll get into the city, clean up, do some good PR stuff and they can cripple the First Sons without us doing anything"

"And in the meantime, we find our missing man" added Thomas.

Waller nodded "And that is why this Team will be accompanied by one of our own, who they won't know is in our employ or our agent's true mission. Our insider will recover our missing agent and our missing project without even the League's notice and repair this whole debacle without anyone being the wiser"

"And if they're not successful?" asked the President.

Waller shrugged "I highly doubt this will fail. But if it does go south, our hands would be clean".

Keen cocked an eyebrow, surprised at his subordinate's answer. He was going to give a reply but he stopped and considered this plan for a moment. It sounded good and it had a good chance of success. But he wasn't comfortable using the League's team in such a way. Who knows what they'll do if they find out that they're just a means to an end.

On the other hand, thousands of lives are at stake and a dangerous object is in the hands of a militaristic death cult who practically have Empire City by the throat, leaving Keen with not too many options.

One of the generals spoke up "What about BlackWatch?"

Waller's assistant, Hawthorne was the one to answer. His voice was soft and smooth like silk "They can't. BlackWatch is currently recovering from the significant expenditures and losses from the New York Outbreaks. Even if they were able, their methods would cause far more damage than we would like".

President Keen knew that the man was right. Even though BlackWatch was an effective organization but they had extreme methods of achieving their goals. It wouldn't be very prudent to send them in, at least not yet. Keen finally relented. He sighed, "What do you need?"

"Nothing much" said Waller, casually "Just your permission to approach our candidate who we have selected to accompany the Team"

The President nodded slowly "Ok. Just make sure that nobody knows of this" "Its off the record sir" assured Waller.

The others in the office knew the drill and were sure to keep their mouths shut or face charges of treason.

President Keen handed the folders back to Waller, saying "Good luck Waller" "Thank you sir" said Waller.

He exhaled and shivered a little "I hope you know what you're doing" "Me too" joked Waller.

The president shook his head a little "Still can't believe it…they're still around" he looked up at her "Why now?"

She shrugged "I'm not sure. But they may be our only hope of recovering Prometheus and terminating the First Sons".

After Waller gathered her belongings, President Keen shook her hand and wished her luck. Once she was gone, Keen prayed that all will go well. They need a miracle to save Empire City.

* * *

After they left the White House, Waller and Hawthorne climbed into a blacked out SUV and drove off. As the SUV raced through the streets of Washington D.C, Waller got on her cellphone and called her contact.

"Its me, we have a go" said Waller "Make sure the target is still within sight. Do not lose our target, we don't want a repeat of Jacksonville"

"Yes ma'am" responded the gruff voice of the field agent. The line clicked off.

Waller sighed and felt a bit of anxiety creep into her. They had been tracking the target fort the better part of two years.

Several months ago, they managed to track the target to Jacksonville in Florida. Before they could make a move, the target caught sight of a rather jumpy new agent, who blew his cover by reaching for his weapon and panicking.

The target fled the premises and vanished like a phantom. Waller chewed the rookie out afterward but she could hardly blame the poor bastard.

Their target was possibly the most dangerous creature on earth and their organization was rather small and its agents new at handling these types of situations.

With the destruction of the Reach, the rise of new Metahumans and the twin tragedies of the New York Outbreaks, the president felt that the government needed to establish a response to potential new threats.

Thus, S.H.A.D.E was born. S.H.A.D.E or the Super-human Advanced Defense Executive, was new and small but it was given a lot of funding and backing to get things started.

So far, they have over dozen staff and office workers and a half dozen field agents recruited from the best organizations around the country. Most of the staff and agents were human but a few were Meta humans who willingly joined to help preserve law and order in the United States. Waller and Hawthorne's track records impressed the President so much, he entrusted them with getting S.H.A.D.E operations up and running, leading and coordinating their resources and picking new agents to fill the new organization's ranks.

So far, things were promising. After a long, grueling selection process Waller and Hawthorne were confidant that they have at least a dozen candidates who are qualified to join their ranks.

Their target was one of them.

Hawthorne, a former intelligence agent and Sergeant in the army, was rather hesitant with approaching their target but Waller was confidant that if their target could be convinced, than they could do whole lot of good. Hawthorne shrugged and agreed to go along with his old friend.

Waller looked out at the scenery passing them by.

The previous year was tiresome. There was a spike in young metahumans gaining their abilities.

Luckily, the Justice League began a new initiative in teaching the new Metahumans how to harness their abilities. Unfortunately, there were a number of trouble of makers who gave the League and the government grief. Destruction and injuries piled up but luckily no deaths...yet.

Waller knew that the League did a lot of good, but she didn't trust them entirely.

In her line of work, she learned to be suspicious of everyone she didn't know or trust. With S.H.A.D.E, Waller can do a lot of good for her country and for the powerless humans who are always caught in the crossfire of destructive Metahuman battles.

Which is why she wanted to approach their target. If they can convince her to join up, than maybe they can get the rest of them to join.

The only problem was to overcome the target's intense hatred for government agencies. Waller knew it would be a long shot but she had to try.

"Amanda" said Hawthorne, nudging her lightly.

Waller snapped out of her thoughts and looked at him "Hm?"

"Shall we prepare for our little…rendezvous tonight?" asked Hawthorne.

She nodded "Yes, of course". The two drew out some folders from their briefcases and began planning for their meeting as the SUV raced to the airport.

* * *

 _San Antonio, Texas…_

It was a quiet and peaceful evening in a certain section of San Antonio as Nathan Hawthorne sat in the SUV with another S.H.A.D.E agent, scanning the quiet street silently.

The SUV was parked behind a small line of cars, parked on the shoulder of the road against the sidewalk, down the street from a small apartment building.

Hawthorne checked in with his agents scattered around via radio, an hour before hand and was relieved that they were all in position. Waller ordered radio silence as they waited for their target and wanted to be sure not to scare off their target with their chatter.

She had very good hearing.

Hawthorne kept his weapon, a standard issued firearm, cocked and ready. He wore a thick, experimental vest that was designed especially for S.H.A.D.E to help them with Metas.

So far, they were lucky enough to avoid test-driving it in actual combat but it made Hawthorne nervous as to whether or not if it worked. The small firearm resting in the holster at his side wasn't anything special. It was just a plain old gun. It probably wouldn't do anything more than tickle their target but it gave Hawthorne a small degree of comfort in having it with him.

The agent in the passenger seat glanced at his watch and noted the time. Hawthorne nodded. She should be coming any moment now.

An half hour later, as if on cue, she did. She approached the apartment building on time, carrying a bag full of groceries. She wore a black jacket with a hood, a white shirt, jeans and sneakers.

Hawthorne swallowed and he kept an eye on the target. She casually went to the building, she fished some her key from her pocket.

The target halted and glanced around her for a moment. Hawthorne silently hoped that nobody was making any sudden movements or anything else that could compromise their positions. She carefully surveyed the darkened, quiet street.

Luckily, in this part of town, it wasn't as brightly illuminated as downtown, thanks to some streetlights that were shot out. The gaps in the line of streetlights gave the agents some darkness to hide in.

The two agents held their breaths and waited in tense silence.

After what seemed like an eternity, the target stopped scanning the street and turned and inserted her key in the lock then slipped inside the apartment building.

Hawthorne felt his heart hammer away in his chest. Step one was done, hopefully Waller was successful in her part.

The agent in the passenger seat switched on the monitoring device and for a moment there was nothing.

Then there was a brief hiss of static followed by the sound of a door opening, followed by a click and Waller's voice.

She greeted the target cordially " _Good evening, I am Amanda Waller, it is an honor to finally meet you in person, please take a seat Ms. Mercer"._

End of chapter

* * *

 **(a/n: So, what do you think? quick note, SHADE is basically DC's version of SHIELD but different. i thought i change it a little be to be kinda like Shield from Marvel. Amanda Waller is a pretty cool character. I liked her in the Justice League cartoons and with Project Cadmus. Since Young Justice already has a Project Cadmus, i decided to kinda make Amanda Waller director of SHADE. Anyway, i hoped you enjoyed this. Please review!)**


	3. Ch 2: Quid pro Quo

**(a/n: Enjoy and review!)**

* * *

Ch.2: Quid pro Quo

Dana placed the grocery bag on the counter in the kitchen and got out two bottles of soda from the fridge. She pulled off her hood and plopped down in the chair across from the woman named Amanda Waller.

Dana offered one of the bottles of soda to Waller but she politely declined. Dana shrugged and placed it on the small wooden table between them.

Other people would stock their fridge with beer or what not but Dana preferred something sweet and won't dull her senses. For the last two years, Dana had managed to get a good grasp on her powers. Thanks to some intense lessons from Alex and Elizabeth, Dana was able to use her powers as well as her big brother.

It had been rather unsettling receiving her powers at the hands of Pariah, but she got used to them. At first she could hardly control the ability to create weapons or change shape, it would come and go at unexpected times. But now she was almost ready for the big leagues, as Alex put it once.

Dana studied the woman sitting across from her. She could hear the woman's heartbeat thumping away at a slightly elevated pace, smell the thin cloud of perfume wafting around her slowly give way to several different smells that had clung to the woman from elsewhere. At first, Dana thought that Waller was some strange businesswoman who broke into her apartment to rob her but she knew that wasn't it.

Dana could smell government on Waller.

After the New York incidents and the lessons with Alex, Dana decided to strike out on her own.

But she later discovered that even though BlackWatch suffered heavily during both infections, it didn't mean that she was free of government or military organizations just yet.

After a long moment of awkward silence, Dana spoke first "Well…you got me. Now what? Being dragged off to a secret instillation for horrible tests? I must warn you, I'm not going to be coming along quietly"

A small smile appeared on Waller's face "No, no, we're not going to be doing any of that. No…in fact, we're here for a job offer".

Dana raised an eyebrow "A job?" she frowned "I'm not interested".

Waller held up a hand "Now hold on a moment Ms. Mercer, please allow me to explain the details of this little job before you throw me out" "Like I said" said Dana curtly "I'm not interested".

Waller opened her mouth to debate with Dana but she stopped herself. She sighed "Alright, then. I figured that you would feel that way. After all what BlackWatch has done to your family, I thought that this would make up for it."

On any normal day, Dana wouldn't put up with anything that came from some suit from some shady organization with an agenda but something the woman said made Dana pause.

Dana held up a hand, stopping the woman from rising "Wait". She folded her arms and scowled at Waller "You have five minutes to explain what the hell is going on"

Waller cocked an eyebrow "What do you mean?"

"Why have you been following me for starters" said Dana "Secondly, why are you offering me a job? I know who you work for and I highly doubt that this country's government would want to offer me anything except a harsh prison sentence."

Waller smiled a little "Smart girl". She reached down into her briefcase on the floor and pulled out a small folder. She handed the folder to Dana "This is Project Prometheus, an experiment that dealt with the Meta Gene, which is the special-"

"I know what the Meta Gene is" interrupted Dana impatiently "My family has a history with everything relating with genetics".

Waller nodded "Of course" she continued "The experiment provided some promising results and was ready to progress into the next phase...until it was stolen from the research lab that it was stored in".

Dana opened the folder and studied its contents carefully. She saw some old reports, partially blacked out, some photographs of various people and an interesting schematic for a strange object. It was a sphere of sorts and from the schematic it had a lot of different parts that sent a lot of red flags up. Dana was no scientist or in anyway an authority on experimental physics and genetics but from her time with Alex during their trainings, she learned a few things from Alex about experimental projects that somehow relate to Black Light and BlackWatch.

The power source was made from a mixture of rare, experimental elements combined into a very volatile material that gave off some strange energy and radiation.

Next, the tests conducted on animals had rather disturbing results in the beginning. But according to the more recent reports, the results improved vastly and their human subjects were very promising. Translation: they stopped dying or becoming violently ill.

Dana looked up at Waller curiously "Are you guys serious? Creating Metahumans?"

"Can you really blame us?" said Waller calmly "The world and the problems we now face in this day and age is unlike anything we have faced in the past. This country needs to catch up or else we'll be left behind in the dust"

"Isn't that what the Justice League or Cadmus is for?" asked Dana.

Waller snorted "Maybe…if they could be trusted" "Oh?" said Dana, raising an eyebrow.

The older woman nodded "Indeed. Cadmus is a dirty secret that we wish to forget. The Light and the Reach had their slimy fingers in that pie for a very long time, which we only recently discovered"

"And the league?" asked Dana as she took a sip from her drink "They have their problems and very flashy outfits that are just an eyesore but they're doing one hell of a job. Say what you will about them but I still say that they are needed".

Waller nodded in agreement, "Indeed. At least…" she trailed off and went quiet.

Dana frowned "At least…" Waller didn't say anything for a moment. She was silent and looked rather distant and sad.

After a bit of silence, Waller looked at Dana and asked, "Did you know that the League has an orbital headquarters?"

Dana blinked in surprise "I-I…no I didn't"

"Did you also know that they had access to some of the most advanced technology on the planet? Most of which would make what we now use look like a joke".

Dana shrugged "I didn't and honestly, I don't care. Its in good hands. The League is full of good people who do what's right for the sake of this world".

Waller snorted "That's what I thought, until I learned about what transpired several years ago on New Years Eve". Dana gave the government woman a questioning look.

Waller explained "Several years ago, when the League was playing cat and mouse with the Light, the entire Justice League was hijacked by a man named Vandal Savage"

Dana wasn't familiar with anyone by that name but Alex did mention him once and from the way her brother spoke of him, this Vandal person was a seriously bad guy.

"The Light had created a very potent form of mind control which put the entire League under their thumb for a better part of twenty four hours or more." "Really?" said Dana in surprise

"The mind control devices were planted by a sleeper agent who infiltrated the ranks. That agent was a Cadmus clone who didn't even realize that he was the Light's agent." continued Waller. She looked Dana in the eyes "Imagine it, almost twenty four hours of a brainwashed Justice League, perfectly obedient and mindless servants. If Vandal and the Light didn't have other plans in mind, could you imagine the horrors they could've unleashed?"

Dana shook her head slowly. She had to admit, that sounded pretty scary. The League was a powerful force for good, but if a powerful villain suddenly had enthralled them with less than noble intentions in mind than it's going to be a very bad day indeed.

Dana frowned "But what does that have to do with what's going on?"

Waller sat back in her chair a little "As I said before, the world is changing and new threats are coming out of the wood work. So far, the League is our only hope. Hypothetically thinking, lets say that one day, the League decides that they don't like being heroes serving the public. What if one day, they wanted to be like kings and queens, with the public serving _them_ fearfully and bowing to their every whim?"

At first, Dana thought it was an absolutely insane thing to say. The League of done a lot for the world and have given their all for the good of the world. It was pretty obvious that Waller had little faith in the League's intentions and was trying to stir up some fear but Dana was a firm believer that they weren't a group of self-righteous tyrants in the making.

However, something in the darkest corner of her mind whispered to trust no one, not even the League. She remembered scraping out a meager living after the first outbreak, living on the road and always looking over her shoulder to stay ahead of the shadowy threat of BlackWatch, who were the go to defense against biological threats.

Even though Dana believed in the League and what they stood for, she still had that sliver of distrust residing deep within like a scar.

For some reason, Waller's logic sounded solid and Dana felt almost convinced.

Dana looked down at the folder in her hands and asked, "Hypothetically, if I were to take the job…where is this object anyway?"

"In the hands of a very nasty organization called the First Sons" answered Waller grimly "In the heart of Empire City, which they rule with an iron fist".

Dana whistled, "Sounds like a holiday" "For most its not on their list of places to visit. But for one with your abilities, it'll be a piece of cake" said Waller confidently.

Dana scratched her head and studied the folder for a few moments longer, hoping that this was all some crazy dream or a hoax but unfortunately, everything is what it seems. She thought long and hard about this. She shook her head slowly "This is…a bit much. I mean, I can handle myself but this seems like a very delicate situation. Shouldn't you be sending in someone more qualified?"

Waller shrugged "Our agents could do this, yes. But, the First Sons are an entirely unknown threat to us. Their leader is a Metahuman and they are well equipped beyond what we have seen in any other group we have encountered. We could send in a strike force but could cause more harm than good. There is also a very powerful illness running rampant in the city, the likes of which we haven't encountered. We would be sending our men into an impossible situation. But you…you are perfect for this".

Waller leaned forward and said confidently "You are meant for this. You can retrieve Project Prometheus and save Empire City. You can be a hero in the eyes of the public and you wouldn't have to live in hiding".

Dana let Waller's words sink in. At first she was hesitant but Dana could feel that Waller was right. With her powers, Dana could handle herself against anything and her new biology made her practically immune to about any disease.

However, something didn't sit comfortably here.

There was more to this than Waller was telling her, which brings to Dana's mind a certain man named Pariah and his wordplay.

Dana closed the folder and handed it back to Waller "This is a lot to take in…I think I need some time".

Waller nodded "Of course" she returned the folder back into her briefcase. Once she packed everything away, Waller rose to her feet "Its your decision but we would like to have your answer by tomorrow night."

"Tomorrow night?" repeated Dana, surprised

"Just so we can have enough time to prepare" answered the government agent "Empire City is under quarantine, we're going through the proper channels to ensure that whoever is going inside the city doesn't get bombed out of the sky and there is some nasty weather conditions brewing over Empire that could cause trouble in the coming weeks".

Waller reached into a pocket within her suit coat and withdrew a small white business card "Here's our number"

Dana looked at it funny and read aloud " _Super-Human Advanced Defense Executive_ "

"My department" said Waller, beaming with pride "We're a small outfit but in a matter of months, we'll be able to do some real good" she looked down a little then back up to Dana "Which was actually the reason why we were tailing you all this time. Even though you and your brother have had a bad time with BlackWatch-"

"No kidding" muttered Dana

"-We wanted to help you. We see potential in you to do good and that you are not a weapon but rather, a step forward towards a safer world".

Dana cracked a humorless smile and got to her feet. Her left arm shifted and turned into a large, solid grey blade that was powerful enough to tear through tank armor and cleave flesh as if it were paper. She chuckled a little and held up her blade arm "This, safe?"

Waller rolled her eyes "I think you know what I mean". She sighed, "I want to help you…I really do. I know that you think that we're monsters. But I want you to know that not all of us are like McMullen or Randall. Not all of us monsters are bad."

Waller bid Dana farewell and left without another word.

Dana's arm returned to its normal state and she plopped back down in her seat and drank Waller's untouched soda.

Waller's words swirled around her mind and Dana carefully thought about the woman's proposal.

* * *

Waller stepped outside the apartment building and a black SUV pulled up and she climbed in. Hawthorne and Agent Williams were relieved to see her alive.

Later, as the SUV turned onto the on ramp onto the highway, Hawthorne glanced at her through the rearview mirror "So…how did it go?"

"Better than I thought" admitted Waller "Do you really think that she'll accept?" asked Agent Williams.

Waller shrugged "Who knows. She may or may not. That's up to her, which is exactly why I didn't push it any further. She has to make her own decision".

Waller was relieved that Dana didn't rip her head off right then and there. But from what she's seen, Dana seemed like a good person who has had a rather long string of unfortunate events in her life. Most would see Dana as a monster or a weapon of mass destruction just waiting to be used but what Waller saw in her was the future.

She could be a very powerful force for good but she also had the power to destroy the world.

* * *

Dark rain clouds swirled over the ruins of Empire City. The once active and thriving city was now silent like a graveyard. The active nightlife of Empire was replaced by sullen silence. Very few now dared to roam out in the open streets. Even those without homes stayed clear of the streets, fearing the wrath of the new lords of the city.

Ever since the explosion and the First Sons first appearance, things only got worse and worse.

After the military quarantine was in effect, all hell broke loose. War erupted in the streets between rival street gangs vying for dominance over what was left of Empire.

The First Sons established a strong hold on the Historic District and violently put down anyone who dared to challenge them. In the other districts, the chaos shrank rapidly as more powerful gangs eliminated their competition or absorbed them. Among them were the Reapers, who now run the Neon District and lastly, the Dust Men in the Warren.

It was the biggest and most brutal gang war to hit Empire City.

What made it worse than typical ones were the fact that most of the cities bravest and best in law enforcement were wiped out in the blast and the rest were too paralyzed by fear to do anything, and the heavy involvement of Metahumans.

That came as a shock to the citizens of Empire. Hardly any of them has seen a Metahuman outside of news footage of the Justice League or their enemies.

Unlike the League and probably more akin to their enemies, these Metahumans are violent psychopaths who could careless about anyone else. The fighting lasted a better part of a day or two.

Once the fighting died down, the three bosses of the main surviving gangs divided Empire's streets amongst themselves.

Once everything was said and done, Empire was now under completely new management. Everyday, the foot soldiers of each gang roved around their territories causing trouble, confiscating anything they want and enforcing their twisted idea of law and order. With no police, a population of new violent Metahuman's and the crippling new disease plaguing Empire City, hope was in short supply.

At the start of the gang war, there were some ferries trying to get as many people out of the city. Unfortunately, the piers were attacked by a pack of violent infected people. Most managed to escape with their lives but there were still a number who were dragged off and were never seen again.

The First Sons and the Reapers eliminated any hope of escaping by any other route and kept close watch on anyone who dared to escape.

Despite the gloom and doom, the people of Empire City carried on. People pulled together and did their best to survive in their circumstances. The three gangs allowed people to keep searching for their missing loved ones. There were many who were dead or missing since the blast.

Though the searches were still allowed, traveling from one part of the city to another was much more difficult now under the regimes of the First Sons, Dustmen and Reapers.

Some folks got lucky and were able to find some loved ones they were separated from during the chaos of the blast and the war.

One of the lucky ones was a young woman named Trish. She was a recent med school graduate who became a nurse in Empire City a few months prior the blast.

After the blast, she lost her sister and she thought she lost her boyfriend, Cole MacGrath. The two had a steady relationship and were already making plans for the future but the blast tore that apart, as it did for everyone else.

On this cold silent night, Cole was lying in bed, out cold but alive. His breathing was slow and steady, his heart rate was normal and nothing seemed to be wrong.

Aside from some bruising and some cuts, Cole was perfectly fine. Which Trish found odd, even a little worrisome. Trish and Cole's good friend Zeke, found Cole among some rubble in the huge crater left behind by the explosion.

They managed to get Cole back to Zeke's place before a patrol of Reapers showed up.

Once there, Trish got to work and patched Cole up and was surprised by the extreme lack of wounds one would find on someone who was in the middle of a huge explosion. Trish voiced her concerns to Zeke but he merely chalked it up to good luck. After treating Cole, Trish kept close watch on Cole as Zeke tried to get supplies and keep them up to date with current events.

Within a matter of a few days Trish and Zeke managed to barter and scrounge up enough food, water and medical supplies to support the three of them for a little while.

Currently, the small apartment was dark and silent with only a bit of light coming from the moon and from small fires scattered around the Neon district like tiny stars. Trish sat in a chair at Cole's bedside with a blanket wrapped around her to keep her warm. The young woman's eyes grew heavy and fatigue began to weigh down on her.

She yawned a little bit and thought to herself that it wouldn't hurt to catch a short nap. Before sleep could claim her, Trish heard movement and she heard mumbling. Her tired eyes slowly opened and she was surprised to see Cole sitting up, rubbing his eyes.

Cole mumbled drowsily "T-Trish…what the…?"

"Cole!" exclaimed Trish. She threw off the blanket and went to his side. She raised her voice a little "Zeke! Zeke! He's awake!"

Zeke, who was fast asleep on the couch, bolted up right and looked around in confusion "Huh…wha?"

Trish went to the kitchen and got a bottle of clean water and brought it back to Cole. He drained the bottle, despite Trish's insistence of him taking it easy.

Once the water was gone, he looked around bleary eyed and asked "W-what happened?"

"Terrorist attack" answered Zeke as he straightened the crinkles out of the suit he had been wearing for the last few days "Blew the hell out of the city. You're lucky to be alive".

Cole looked at Zeke for a moment in confusion then he frowned deeply. He reached up to his head and rubbed his temples "Oh man…"

"How's your head?" asked Trish concerned "Feeling light-headed? Is your vision blurry?"

Cole didn't seem to hear her. He rubbed his head muttering "I…I was delivering a package, my phone rang…and everything went black".

Zeke frowned. That seemed rather odd. It sounded as if Cole was there when the blast went off but that can't be. The blast obliterated five city blocks and vaporized anyone within its radius.

Trish placed a hand on Cole's shoulder "Cole, I need to check your eyes. Look at me."

Suddenly, Cole clutched his chest and moaned loudly. His body began to shake and he fell back into the bed. "Cole!" cried Trish.

The young nurse felt a jolt hit her hand and she immediately yelped and drew back. She watched with a mixture of awe and horror as arcs of blue, electrical energy race all along Cole's shaking body.

"Crap on a stick!" exclaimed Zeke "What's happening to him?"

"He's going into convulsions," said Trish as she immediately grabbed onto Cole's arm "I need you to grab Cole's other arm. Help me hold him down".

Zeke nodded and he grabbed Cole's other arm and pinned his friend's arm to the bed. Trish, with her free hand, struggled to find something to help treat this. Cole shook violently, moaning in pain. "Agh! Burning…up…help…". Cole let out a loud scream and suddenly Cole's arms broke free of his friend's grips and arcs of blinding blue-white electrical energy exploded from Cole's body, shooting out everywhere like a fountain of light.

The arcs of energy struck the furniture, the floor and various objects around the apartment.

Luckily the arcs missed Zeke and Trish, who watched in amazement at the brilliant explosion of lights.

As quickly as it started, it ended. The apartment was plunged back into darkness.

A foul burnt smell filled the apartment and the smoke caused Trish and Zeke to cough. "What the hell?" coughed Zeke, voicing both Trish and Zeke's thoughts.

Trish went to Cole's side and saw that he was now lying perfectly still. She checked his pulse and his breathing. Cole had stopped breathing. Frantically, Trish started doing CPR. Zeke stared at the unconscious Cole in astonishment. Trish shot a look back at him "Don't just stand there, help me!"

"Do what?" asked Zeke in confusion "I don't know what the hell just even happened"

"Just get the bag from the closet" ordered Trish. Zeke scurried off to the hall closet and found Trish's medical bag with some equipment she had brought with her.

As Zeke brought the bag to Trish, she furiously tried to get Cole's heart going again "Come on Cole, come on!".

After some long, intense minutes Trish was able to get Cole's heart beating again. Zeke was relieved as much as Trish was. As the two took a moment to relax from the intense last few minutes, Zeke kept an eye on his unconscious friend.

Zeke was freaked out about what just happened but at the same time, he was astounded. In the back of his mind, Zeke had a feeling that they were in for a wild ride.

* * *

Meanwhile, down on the waterfront near the old piers, a man managed to sit down and catch his breath for the first time in a matter of days.

He had been running for a long time. Ducking patrols from the First Sons, Reapers and Dustmen, trying his hardest to get out of dodge but have his hopes dashed at every turn and did his best to guard the one thing that could bring about the destruction of the entire world.

The man managed to find shelter inside an abandoned warehouse down by the piers.

Nobody would look for him here, at least for a little while. He slipped off the backpack and placed it on the ground closely beside him. The man reached into his pocket and withdrew a bit of bread wrapped up in a bandanna. Not really a cheeseburger or a piece of stake but it was better than dumpster diving.

He took a bite out of the piece of bred and contemplated how screwed up the situation is.

So far he managed to get the item out of their hands and rabbited before anyone was the wiser. Unfortunately the First Sons and everyone else who had it out for him now run the streets and are ruthlessly gunning for him.

He considered going to one group and appealed for mercy and cut a deal but he knew that each one was crueler and more twisted then the next.

Kessler wanted him dead, Alden wanted to turn him inside out and Sasha had some rather twisted things in mind.

The man shuddered at the thought of that woman. She was something else entirely.

He looked down at his wristwatch and managed to see what time it is and what day it was on the little digital calendar.

The agent sighed with despair. The extraction felt like a lifetime ago even though it was just a few hours before the blast several days past.

Even if he did get to the extraction point, he wasn't sure if they would show up. Hell, he wasn't even sure if they were getting the dead drops he had been leaving or the pieces of Kessler's plans he had managed to swipe.

With the quarantine, the blast and the huge turf war, the agent realized that he was on his own from here on out.

He considered his limited list of options. He could try a few other ways out of Empire City but it'll be dangerous.

He could also try and stash the sphere somewhere safe and come back for it but that was very risky. Lastly, he could just give up.

The agent shook his head at the last option. He couldn't afford to give up. Not now, not after all that work and all that he had to do to get the sphere back.

Besides, if he gave the sphere back, it'll be game over for everyone.

The agent returned the piece of bread back to his pocket and looked at the bag sitting closely beside him.

He muttered bitterly at the bag, "You are a pain in the ass". He had to guard this thing with his life. He had no problem dying in the service of the country he loved. Its the fact that his enemies don't intend to kill him. They intend to make his suffering last for eternity.

He humorless smile appeared on his face. The agent had joined the agency to do good and save the world, just like the Justice Society whom he idolized when he was a kid.

Now, it looks like the fate of the world was on the shoulders of John White now. _Lucky me_ , thought John.

End of chapter

* * *

 **(a/n: Sorry for the wait, but i hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review and thank you for being very patient!)**


	4. Ch 3: Cloak & Dagger

**(a/n: I am so, so sorry for the wait everyone! I had written most of this already but lost the file, then found it again recently and finished it. Sorry for the wait. Enjoy!)**

* * *

Ch.3: Cloak and Dagger

The bioship raced across the night sky silently.

Bart Allen shifted uncomfortably as the bioship silently slipped through some cloud cover and circumvented the military's outer parameter down below.

Everyone aboard the cloaked alien craft seemed to be holding their breath as they drew closer to the scheduled flyover by a couple of jets. They watched as the two jets roar past them, just outside of their cloud cover.

After a few heartbeats of long silence, the jets had vanished from off the ship's sensors.

Bart let off a small sigh of relief. He knew that ship had cloaking technology that the military wouldn't crack, but the speedster couldn't help but feel very nervous about this.

The bioship shook a little and settled a moment later. The occasional bit of turbulence they've encountered thus far wasn't helping Bart feel any better.

Once the jets were long behind them, Miss Martian announced that they were only a few minutes out from Empire speedster swallowed nervously and thought back to the briefing that occurred earlier that day.

* * *

It was late afternoon in Happy Harbor when the government agent arrived at Mount Justice.

The League had tried to gain access to Empire City to go in and liberate the city but their request was shot down, at least officially and publicly due to the highly volatile situation. The President acknowledged publicly that Empire City has to be rescued as soon as possible but unbeknownst to the general public, the situation proved to be far more delicate than originally believed.

He didn't elaborate but the president met with the League in private much later, once the barrage of reporters had dissipated.

The President agreed that he will allow a small team to go into Empire City, but all of this has to be off the record so as not to alert those holding the city of what they are planning. Batman thought it odd at first but he later agreed to the logic in the plan. The President then told the League that he would send his representative further appraise the Team, and certain members of the League, of the situation of Empire City.

In the main hall of the Cave, select members of the Team were assembled with Wonder Woman and Aquaman. The assembled heroes waited for only a few minutes for their guest to arrive. Precisely at the appointed time, Superman and Batman led the government agent into the main hall who was flanked by a pair of other agents in black suits.

Bart Allen observed their guest with interest, as he stood with his best friend, Blue Beetle, among their fellow heroes.

The lead government agent was an elderly gentleman. He was dressed like he was on his way to a fancy dress party. He wore an expensive looking green pinstriped suit, shiny black shoes, a bowler hat and green silk bow tie. The man had a trimmed white beard, wrinkly skin and friendly blue eyes. He walked with a limp and used a cane as support. The old man carried a metal suitcase in his free hand.

The two accompanying agents were middle aged and had rather indistinct features. They regarded the metahumans with coldly, looking ready to strike. The old man came to a stop in the center of the hall and gazed around at the assembled heroes. A warm smile appeared on the old man's face and he tipped his bowler hat to his hosts "Good Morning folks! I'm Father Time"

Blue Beetle snorted a little and Bart managed to stop himself from chuckling. The man sure looked old enough to be Father Time but that was probably a codename that he was assigned to by the government.

Everyone seemed to ignore Beetle and Bart and was focused more on the elderly government agent.

Father Time continued, "I am here on behalf of the President to brief you on the situation in Empire City. It's just so exciting!" everyone stared at the old man a little oddly, who just grinned broadly and his eyes twinkled.

Batman cleared his throat. Father Time glanced over his shoulder at the dark knight, who stared at him blankly. A look of realization appeared on the old man's face. He got the message. "Oh, right, sorry about that".

He placed the metal suitcase on the stone floor and with a tap from his shoe, the case sprung open. A hologram flickered to life and hovered over the suitcase. Floating at eye level was a flickering model of Empire City. Father Time gestured everyone to gather around. The assembled heroes gathered around the map and watched.

The elderly man spoke in a firm business tone "The situation in Empire is grave. At first glance, we see that Empire is under the control of a single, powerful group, which we all know as the First Sons" he frowned "However, what most don't know outside myself, my organization and the President himself, is that Empire is actually under the control of _three_ groups".

The map blinked and sections of the map changed colors and thin lines weaved through the streets and formed misshapen boundaries. The League and Team stared at the changed map in shock.

Father Time began to circle the map "According to our intelligence, a very vicious gang war erupted between the First Sons and at least a dozen fledgling groups for dominance. Over the course of the war, the number of rival groups shrunk down to the First Sons and two others that now own and operate the city as their own kingdom".

The map flashed and was replaced by dozens of blurred images of street battles, some dominated by figures in crimson hoodies, others tattered brown and green coats. There was even one of a group of First Sons troops guarding a small huddled group of red and greened clothed prisoners.

Father Time gestured to the images "Once the small timers were gone, the three main organizations have wrestled for control of the city. Lots of blood was shed both from combatant and civilian"

"Hera" breathed Wonder Woman in shock. There were some gruesome scenes of death and destruction that made Bart's stomach twist into a knot.

Superman frowned "Where did you get these images?" "I was just getting to that" said Father Time calmly.

The images flickered and the map returned. "Before the city fell, one of our agents was in the area, working to retrieve some stolen information from the First Sons. To this day, we are not sure what has become of our man but we are receiving sporadic bursts of information from the city, which may indicate that he could very well be alive."

Father Time sighed, "With the disappearance of our main agent…we can only assume the worst".

Silence dominated the hall as the Leaguers and the Team mulled over the information.

After a long moment of silence, Nightwing asked "What about this quarantine?"

"Ah yes, that" said the elderly agent, who was stroking his beard "Well, according to military reports, there appears to be a very powerful disease going around Empire. What it is or how powerful it is, we're not sure and we're not willing to find out."

"Also, this agent of yours" asked Wonder Woman "Who was he? What was his mission?"

Father Time smiled sadly "I can't say exactly, that's a little above my pay grade." The images changed to photos of a man in a suit.

"However" continued Father Time "What I can say is that this man, Agent John White, was tasked to retrieve something that was stolen from the government a while back, by this man". A new photo appeared next to the photo of the agent.

The image was blurred and the subject was hard to see but it was clearly of a man wearing a hoodie and had a gauntleted arm. Nightwing and everyone else in the room recognized him as the man who massacred all the emergency crews on live television.

Noting the looks on everyone's face, Father Time nodded "Yes, it's the same man. Facial recognition software says it's a complete match. This man not only stole from the government but is also in charge of the First Sons"

"Who is he?" asked Miss Martian.

"His name is Kessler" answered Father Time. He threw a glance at the image "Unfortunately, that's all that we have at the moment"

Bart Allen cocked an eyebrow "Really? I thought you guys were suppose to know everything"

The old agent nodded "Normally that's true but this guy is like a phantom. He just appears and disappears without a trace. After some extensive searching, we weren't able to come up with anything. No history, no contacts, no family or friends. Nothing."

"What about your agent in the city?" asked Superman "Can't you establish contact or could you even send in more agents?"

Father Time shook his head "The situation is a little slippery for our guy. If our inside man is still alive, he will be currently on the run from the First Sons and these other gangs. Establishing contact could compromise his position." he folded his arms and his face turned grim "And that's not the best part".

The images flickered and changed to new images. This time, these images showed various figures dressed in different colors "According to the last bit of intel we received before our guy went dark, it would appear that there is some Metahuman elements involved in these factions" a photo popped up of a tall, slim figure dressed in a tattered, cream colored trench coat with a hood shielding his face. An orb of glittering blue electrical bolts surrounded the figure's hands.

Another photo appeared of a disheveled man in a ruined green hoodie marching down an empty street with a huge creature lumbering behind. Everyone stared in shock at the creature. It was composed entirely of scrap metal, concrete and various materials.

"Normally we would send in some agents or a strike team" said Father Time "but very few of our boys are trained to take on Metahumans, let alone something like that" he nodded to the man in green and the large creature.

The elderly government man scratched his chin "I'm not going to sugarcoat this folks but the way I see this is that Empire City is screwed no matter which way you slice it"

the images changed again and images aerial views of Empire City came up "The military has strict orders to not allow any civilians out, otherwise we'll have a pandemic on our hands. Secondly, we got starving civilians and those thugs running the city won't allow relief efforts through, so there has to be some very risky late night airdrops. Third, the First Sons and these groups are armed and the amount of firepower they have is completely unknown to us. Lastly, it would appear that the clock is ticking and Empire may not have very long".

Superman and Batman shared a concerned look then they looked at the elderly government agent "What do you mean?" asked Superman.

Father Time leaned on his cane "Included in our final update with our agent, he pieced together that this Kessler fellow is up to no good" he shook his head "and it seems that the leaders of these other factions have their own sick twisted agendas too. Its as if they each have a little endgame scenario planned out for Empire City" he shivered "I don't like it…neither do the folks in Washington. Which is why the President has green lit your request to go in".

The floating images flickered out like dying flames and Father Time kicked his suitcase closed. He scooped it up and handed it to Batman.

The elderly man nodded to the case "This has everything we have on Empire City and on the maniacs running the show over there. Feel free to review it and ask questions but if you're going to do anything, do it soon. Time is ticking and we don't know how long those poor bastards in Empire have."

He then turned to the rest of the assembled heroes and said "One last thing. Getting out of Empire will be very difficult. All three groups patrol the city streets and guard the exits, the military is ordered to shoot anyone trying to cross the border on sight and there is something down there that is jamming our communications. Once you set foot in Empire, you will be on your own." The elderly agent went quiet, letting his words hang in the air.

Father Time then reached into his suit coat and withdrew a little silver pocket watch. He glanced at the time and returned it to his pocket saying "I must go, my boss would like to speak with me on matters of budgeting".

Father Time tipped his hat to Batman and to the rest of the assembled heroes saying "Good luck and God speed". He turned and strolled out of the hall with Superman and the other agents following him out.

Hours after Father Time's departure, the selected members of the Team had assembled in the hanger near the Bioship.

Bart looked around at his fellow teammates, feeling nervous for the coming mission. _No problem, no problem,_ thought Bart nervously _just heading off into a city full of hostages, hostile terrorists and metahumans and with high probability of death._ He tapped his foot impatiently.

"Chill out man" said Blue Beetle, noticing his friend's anxiety.

"Trying to" said Bart "But this mission has me a little on edge"

"Why?" asked Blue Beetle. Bart shrugged "I don't know. Its just something…" he trailed off. The speedster didn't really know why he felt so nervous. He came back in time, fought a vicious alien race and came close to ruining history. All of that was gut wrenching and nerve wracking but he managed to keep his head.

Deep down, something in Bart's stomach didn't sit right. Just as the waiting and anticipation was becoming too much to handle, Batman and Nightwing arrived.

The dark knight and his former sidekick called the assembled heroes together to finalize plans.

Once Father Time had left, the League and the Team reviewed the information they had received from Father Time and compared it with what the League had collected on their own investigations. The information was the same, although the government seemed to have more detailed accounts of what is happening on the inside of the city.

Armed with information and the government's blessing, the League selected several members from the Team to go in, gather intelligence on the groups that now control Empire City and weaken their resolve so that the League will be able to launch a large scale operation with Father Time's organization.

Chosen to lead the mission was Nightwing and accompanying him were Miss Martian, Blue Beetle, and Bart.

"Remember" warned Batman "Remain cautious, do not engage the enemy unless it is necessary. Do what you can to help the people."

"Got it" said Bart.

"One last thing" said Batman "While you are in Empire City, do all that you can to learn on what this Kessler is up to". The speedster nodded and the squad left Happy Harbor and traveled across the country and reached Empire City.

* * *

Now, after slipping past the patrols and seeing the dark silhouette of the city slowly coming into view, Bart clenched his hand into a fist tightly.

They're on the clock now and its time to get to work.

* * *

Down below, a young man in a tattered bone white trench coat sat with his legs dangling over the edge of the roof, watching the skies carefully. Normally, Carter would be at HQ with his squad, eating a nice meal and keeping warm.

However tonight, it was his turn to sit out in the dark and cold for sentry duty.

Carter could've sworn that it wasn't his night to do sentry duty but his complaints were ignored and he was told that the big boss himself wanted him to be out here in the dark. Strangest thing about this whole thing was that the boss passed down specific instructions down to him.

"Keep a sharp eye out" said the lieutenant "The boss is expecting some special guests to be coming in tonight". Carter simply nodded and left.

He sat out in the cold and dark for few hours. The city was still and dark, like ship at the bottom of the darkest depths of the sea. The watchman drew his trench coat about himself tightly to keep himself warm.

After hours of a typical, boring shift, Carter suddenly got a vibe. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand straight up.

The young watchman frowned and he switched on his aura. Within him, a warm feeling, starting from his heart, spread all over his body. Carter's vision suddenly became clear and the world around him came into sharp focus. The dark world around him was gone and it was if he were wearing the greatest pair of night vision goggles in the world.

The metahuman went still and sensed the world around him. He could hear several hearts beating slowly several blocks away, the murmuring of a sleeping homeless man several floors beneath him in the sewers. But that wasn't what triggered Carter's heightened senses.

He closed his eyes and focused. Sifting through the typical, every day sounds he is used to until he picked up the ones he hadn't heard before.

It was a soft humming sound, it was so soft that Carter almost missed it. Carefully adjusting his senses, he picked up several muffled hearts thumping away. The sounds grew louder and closer. The young watchman opened his eyes and looked up to the sky. He could see the stars clearly through the clouds, blazing like bonfires.

Carter frowned a little and he caught sight of a shimmering shape flying past his line of sight. Turning his head to follow it, Carter followed it until it had vanished behind the taller buildings.

Aircraft weren't Carter's strong suit but the young watchman knew for certain, based on its shape, that whatever flew over his head was not man made.

Carter shook his head. He had to get back to HQ and report in. As he left, the young watchman thought that it was spooky that Kessler knew that this would happen. Then again, thousands of rumors fluttered around the First Sons about the guy and the freaky ability he had to know how things would go down.

Had the watchman been able to see the hidden aircraft when it vanished behind the taller buildings, he would've seen something very peculiar.

* * *

Once the bioship had passed behind the taller buildings, the belly of the ship began to bulge and move. The red underside began to fade and turn black as pitch. The bulge grew larger and pulled away from the ship.

Once freed, the huge glob of black biomatter fell off of the bioship like a dewdrop and landed with a splat on the roof of a building. The huge splat of biomatter sat there for a long moment, then moved. Slowly at first, then with a ferocious energy, the splat of pitch-black matter gathered together and formed.

The biomatter coagulated and eventually took shape. Within seconds, the black splat on the roof of a burnt, abandoned tenement building was replaced with the displeased form of Dana Mercer.

Dressed in a black jacket, grey hoodie, jeans and boots, Dana flexed her sore, stiff limbs. Several long hours of being attached to the bioship as an amorphous blob in high altitudes was a whole new experience and it wasn't entirely pleasant.

The eggheads in SHADE hypothesized that Dana could shift her form to the point where she becomes a formless blob and attach to the bioship without being detected.

Getting in wasn't that difficult. While Father Time distracted the League and the Team with the briefing, Dana slipped in and found the bioship. Before the mission started, she attached herself to the underbelly and held on for dear life.

However, the transformation was very jarring and discomforting. Going from a complex organism with bones, muscles and such to one without...needless to say that the word 'Hell' came to mind several times.

The bioship didn't like her being there but Dana fought the ship's attempts to force her out and kept her self-hidden by mimicking the ship's internal workings. Thinking of how alive that the ship felt made Dana shudder. It felt wrong doing that. She hoped to never do that again.

She made a mental note to find the one who suggested this approach idea and give them a piece of her mind and a taste of her blade.

Pulling her grey hoodie over her head, Dana turned and left.

End of Chapter


End file.
